HAM RADIO+FPV

First-person viewFirst-person view (FPV), also known as remote-person view (RPV), or simply video piloting, is a method used to control a radio-controlled vehicle from the driver or pilot's view point. Most commonly it is used to pilot a radio-controlled aircraft or other type of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

Please note these instructions are for the USA only. If you leave in another country please follow your own countries guidelines on how to get the HAM license.

All FPV airplanes, racing drones, FPV multi-rotor helicopters have a video transmitter on board and as the name indicates these are RF (Radio Frequency)analog, FM (Frequency modulation) transmitters.Do you need a HAM radio license to fly FPV?Yes. To fly legally, you need an amateur radio license. The first-tier license, Technician, should cover everything you need to fly FPV legally with respect to FCC laws in the United States.More specifically, if you are using a product that is not FCC Part 15 compliant, you will need a amateur radio license. In general, almost no components that we use for radio / video transmitting in drone racing are Part 15 compliant, and will require you to have a license to operate legally. While a DJI Mavic or Phantom may be compliant, your custom built racer likely won’t be. Usually, the FCC logo is printed on a product to show compliance.

Studying for the exam will teach you a lot of things. I learned a lot from the questions and answers. While studying for the exam I became really interested in the Amateur (Ham) Radio activities. Since currently FPV pilots require an amateur radio license it would be beneficial to organize a so called “FPV net” over the airwaves where all FPV pilots can call in, listen and talk about FPV. So who knows, maybe you will be interested in it too. It may lead to a new hobby for those long boring winter nights; you can sit in front of the radio and talk to people all over the world.Let’s get back to FPV and licensing. Why is licensing really important? Here are few key points:If you use an RF transmitter without proper licensing you can be fined severely, imprisoned or both.If that is not enough motivation for you, then here is another:Some of the FPV frequencies are close to frequencies used by civil aviation, radar and by aviation transponder systems. If you cause interference with any of these, you could be responsible for serious damage, not only to property but maybe life as well. Trust me you want to avoid any of that at all costs. So investigate the above links and go ahead and get your amateur license as the first step to becoming an FPV pilot.